Arpabattjs fob forming sheet metal



J. H. BlCKLEY.v APPARATUS FOR FORIVING SHEET METAL.;-

APPLicAHoN FILED Nov.23, 191s.`

1 ,'306, 166. Patented June 1o, 1919.

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J. H. BICKLEY.

APPARATUS FOR FORIVHNG SHEET METAL.

APPLicA'rloN FILED Nov. 2a. 191s.

1,305, 1 66. Patented June l0, 1919.

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ITE STATES PATEN Eric JOHN H. BICKLEY, or READING, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoR To WILLIAM H. woon, 0E

, MEDIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

y APPARATUS y Een EOEMING sIIEE'I' METAL.

incense.

17 o all rIJ/wm, t may concern: g Be it` known that l. `.loi-IN H. BIcnLEY, citizen of the` United States, and resident of Reading-county Yof Berks, and' State of Pennsylvania, have linvented an Improvement in Apparatus 'for "Forming Sheet. Metal, of which the followingt isa specilication.

The object of my invention is to provide suitable dies for use inahydraulic or other press, which shallbe-adapted to shape and corrugate large fire box sheets forrlocomotive boilers. 1

My invention is especially designed for` forming the. corrugated fire box sheet which constitutes the sides and crown of the fire box exempliiiedrin Letters Patent No.'

1,106,908 and granted to William H. Wood on August 11, 1914, the` same consisting` of an arch shaped sheet having corrugatic-ns arranged transverselyacross the'crown and down the sides to a short distance from the bottom.

My invention consists of adjustable male and female die structures, each composed of die sections suitably coupled and adapted to be operated in a commercial hydraulic press having a movable platen andan auxiliary plunger operating from below the platen.

The outer or female die Vstructure comprises side and `crown Vdie sections, the former to swing about upper hinge supports, the swinging movements of the side sections coperating in producing the transverse corrugations and denitely Ashaping the sheet. The inner or male die structure comprises a dome shaped construction composed of transversely movable side sections and a crown or dome top section carried by theside sections and movable vertically with them, said sections having their outer surfaces shaped to coperatewith the outer or female die structureV to lprovide transverse corrugations and in which mcreover, the side sections are operated by devices, such as toggles ortheir equivalent, which simultaneously move them relatively apart during formative operation. i A

My invention also comprisesrdetails of construction which, together-with the featuresV above specified, will be better. understood by reference to the drawing, in which: Figure 1 is front elevation of a press with my` improved diesthereon in section; Fig.

Specification of Letters Patent. l Patented Jung 10, 191 9 Application led November 2B, 1918. Sera1No.263,832.

2 is aside elevation of the press showing the dies thereon in transverse section; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a modification o f the means for operating side sectionsof the male die structure.

The hydraulic press which is best suited to operate my improved dies comprises the usual stationary head 2 and movable platen 8, movable to and from the head by a plunger 4 workingY in a hydraulic cylinder 5. Aside from the main plunger 4, there is an auxiliary plunger 6 working within the plunger 4 andadapted to come into -play after the main plunger has performed its function and come to rest; in the present instance the `auxiliary plunger operating the means for spreading the side sectionsof the male die structure, as hereinafter described.

.i The-female `die structure consists of thel plate 9 to which atop die section 15 is secured and two side die sections 10 which are hinged to the plate 9L As shown, the outer and upper portions'of Ithese sections l0 are vhinged at 1'1 to plates 7 which are secured to the top plate 9. The top section 15 and side sections 10V form an arch like structure pro'- viding the inner walls 12 and 12 having transverse grooves 14 and 14a, said grooves terminating a short dis-tance above the lower edges ofthe side sections'. The inner surface of the side sections curve laterally to form a continuation of the curved surface of fthe top section (Fig. 2). The side `sections 10l have capacity for a slight swinging movement, which is greatest at their lower parts; and this movement is imparted by the cam portions 17 secured to the lower plate 16 bolted to the platen 3 of the press. When the platen is moved upward by the plunger 4, the cams V1"( move the sidedie sections 10 inwardly and hold them in proper position to take the side thrust in the formative process.

. y The male die structure consists of the side vdie sections 18 and a top crown or dome secof the section 27 is provided with ribs 20a, the ribs 19 and 20LL in alinement and coacting with the groo-ves 14: and 14a of the female die structure. The preferred means for moving the side sections 118 are shown as toggles and comprise a plurality of links 2,4 hinged at their' outer ends to the longitudinal shafts 25 secured to the side sections and having their inner ends hingedly socketed' at 26 in the heads 21 and 22 spaced apart by the post 23 and all moved vertically by the auxiliary plunger 6 of the press. As shown in Fig. 2, the plunger 6 being downand the toggle linlrs 24 inclined upward .at their outer ends, it follows that when the male die structure has reached its upward movement, the upward movement of the plunger 6,y and heads 21 and 22 will cause the side sections 18 to be moved `laterally away from each other and into close formative relation with the 'side die sections of the outer or female die structure. As shown, the top crown or dome section 27 bridges across the space between the side sections 18 and rests directly upon guide surfaces 30, so that when the side sections are moved upward by the platen 3 and into formative relation with the female die structure, this crown or dome section is ,definitely moved into formative relation with the die section 15.

` In general shape, the die structures are relatively longand` open at their opposite ends, it being understood that they are only intended to operate upon a sheet bent into. arch form and which would constitute the sides and crown of a fire box of a locomotive boiler. In practice, the sheet steel to be corrugated is first bent into arch form, then heated and finally subjected to the formative action of -my improved dies, which give to its surface the desired shape and corrugations.

The operation may be summarized as follows: The arch shaped sheet of steel being heated, it 's suspended upon a suitable tool 32 and introduced longitudinally into the arch shaped space between the male and female die structures, as shown at 31 in Fig. 1.r The tool is then removed and the sheet 31 is allowed to rest upon the male die. The plunger 4; is put into operation, raising the platen 3 and with it the male die structure and sheet 31. As the platen rises, the cams 17 press upon the lower ends 13 of the side die structures 10 and swing them into formative position, and then hold them in such position during the completion of the formative process. Then the platen rises, it car'- ries upward the male die structure and this action presses the crown of the sheet between the die sections 15 and 27, producing both formative and corrugated effects, which also extend downward to some 'extent on the side portions of the sheet. The next action is produced by the auxiliary plunger 6, which raises the heads 21 and 22 and thereby rock the toggle links 24 to force the side sections 18 of the 4male .die structure apart and into close formative relation with thevside sec-Y tions 10 of the female die structure, therebyV forming and corrugating the side portions of the sheet. During thisoperation, the die 'i 'i sections 1S rest positively upon theplaiten 3,`sliding outwardly upon it and between it and the -crown or dome section 27, the latter being at the same time positively andforcibly held against the'sheet 3lrand the upper Y sections of the vfemaleldie structure.V YAfter the sheet has beenshaped, the'plunger'is' the side die vsections 18 of the maleldie.f The action is similar to'that produced by the toggles, but the friction is somewhat greater and therefore I prefer Vto employ the toggle device, iirstdescribed. Y

The die sections are shown as castings, well braced with ribbed backing andthere-A confine myself to the details in this respect, as the construction of the several sections of the die structures may be modified to suit variations in the shapes of the sheets to be corrugated andthe strength which may be required according to the thickness of the sheet operated upon.

Vfore both light and strong; but I do not Y I have described my invention in the form Y i which I believe is best suited to commercial practice, but it is to be understood that the means for supporting and "automatically adjusting the die sections, d uringrise in the formative process, may be modified without departing from lthe general `natureof the invention;-A and therefore, I do notv conne myself to the details, as they maybe variedwithin the scope of the claims without be# ing a'departure from the spirit of the in- Y Y vention.

`Having now described my invention, Y.

what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s; i

- 1. In apparatus for shapingV arch shaped sheets, an arch shaped female diestructure formed o f a Vstationary crownV sectionV and two side sections jointedly attached relatively to the `stationary section and having their-'upper working faces shaped to alinef ment with theV "working face of the stationary section, combined withV a male die structure comprising a movable plate having each other and a dome like structure'having side die sections supported bythe plate and adjustable whereby they maybe ino-ved apart to coperate with the side sections o f Y the lfemale die structure and :also lhaving'a dome top diev section bridging the space between the side die sections and adapted to fit the crown section ofthe female die structure, and means for/forcibly acting upon'the side die sections ofthe male die structure to' move `them apart during the formative 'operation 2.V The apparatus specified and defined in' claim 1, when further characterizedby having the means for forcibly acting upon the side die sections of -themale die structure consisting of vertically movable heads and toggle links extending fromsaid heads tov the side die sections, whereby an upward movement of the heads will cause the toggles to rock and impart an outward movement to the side die sections.

8. The apparatus specied in claim 1, when distinguished by having the side die sections of the female die structure hinged at their upper and outer ortions, and by having the means for causing the side Sections of the female die structure to be moved toward each other made of cam devices movable with the plate and having cam faces which directly act upon the lower ends of the said side sections.

4. The apparatus specified in claim 1, when the dome top section of themale die structure rests upon and is adjustably connected with the upper portions of the side die sections of the male die structure.

5p. The apparatus defined in claim 1, when further combined with a press11 having a stationary frame for supporting the female die structure, a movable platen for movably supporting the male die structure and moving it to and from the female die structure, and auxiliary power devices for imparting motion to the means for forcibly acting upon the side die sections of the male die structure whereby said action may take place after the male and female die sections vsheets, an arch shaped female die structure formed of a stationary crown section and two side sections jointedly attached relatively to the stationary section and having their upper working faces shaped to alinement with the working face of the stationary section, combined with a male die' structure comprising a movable plate having means for causing the side sections of the female die structure to be moved toward each other and a dome'like structure having side die sections snpportedmby the-plate and adjustable-whereby they may be'moved apart to coperate with the side sections `ofthe female diestructure andalso having .a dome top dieL section bridging the space between theside die-sections and adapted to iit the crown section ofthe female die structure,

andniean's for forcibly acting upon the side` diesections4 of the male die structure to move themapart during the uformative operation,'the said male and -female die structures being relatively provided with co-acting tribs and grooves and said ribs and grooves extending transversely of the die structures' whereby corrugations will be "formed transversely of the length of the arch shaped sheet.

8. In apparatus for shaping arch shaped sheets, an arch shaped female die structure formed of a stationary crown section and two side sections jointedly attached relatively to the stationary section and having their upper working faces sliaped-to alineineiit with the working face of the stationary section, combined with a male die structure comprising a movable plate having means for causing the side sections of the female die structure to be moved toward each other and a dome like structure having side die sections supported by the plate and adjustable whereby they may be moved apart to coperate with the side sections of the female die structure and also having a dome top die section bridging the space between the side die sections and adapted to t the crown section of the female die structure, and means for forcibly acting upon the side die sections of the male die structure to move them apart during the formative operation, the operating opposed surfaces of the Vmale and female die structures being relatively provided with ribs and grooves arranged transversely of the length of the die structures and 'extending continuously over their operating surfaces and terminating at a short distance from the bottom of their side sections and co-acting to produce corrugations transversely of the length of the arch shaped sheet terminating a short distance above the bottom edges.

Y 9. In apparatus for shaping arch shaped sheets, a female die structure having an arch shape and composed of a longitudinal central crown section and two side sections hinged at their upper ends and forming an adjustable union with the crown section, combined with a male die structure of dome like shape and composed of two side die sections adjustable to and from each other and a longitudinal top dome section bridging the space vbetween the side sections and supported by them, said sections of the female and male die struetureshaving grooves and ribs, means for moving the two side sections Vof the Vfemale die structure toward each 'adjustable union with the crown section,

combined with a male die structure of dome like shape and composed of two side die sectionsadjustable to and from each other and a' longitudinal top dome section bridging the Copies of this patent may be obtaind'for five cents each,V by addressing the 'omm'issioner 0.137 liate'ntsy Y of the Afemale die structure toward 4each other, means for moving thetwo sidesee-VV tions of the male die structure away from each other, and means for movingY the itwo diefstruotures relativelyV toward .and from each other, the `last mentioned meansjand the means for moving theside die sections of the female die stru'oture oopei'ating during the same period'and altern'atelywith aotionof A the means for moving the 'side sections of the male die structure In testimony of which invention yI here-V Y JOHNy H. BIQKLEY;

unto set my hand.

Y Washingtolbl D. C. 

